Innovations in Talent Acquisition: Diversifying the IT Talent Pool
Moderator: Sue Thaden, President & Chief Executive Officer, CRi

Fast paced, IMPACT! Talks feature three compelling speakers sharing powerful ideas in the space of 60 minutes. These brief high impact talks are designed to disrupt ordinary thinking and inspire you to reimagine what is possible. For the Talent Forum, the focus of the Impact! Talks will be on innovative ways thought leaders are diversifying the talent pool in the face of the perennial shortage of IT professionals.

IMPACT! Talk #1:
Expand Your IT & Engineering Candidate Pool – Eliminate the College Degree Requirement!
Roland Selby, Vice President Strategic Partners, NPower
This session will challenge you to think differently about tech talent and highlight a great untapped resource – the non-college talent. Roland’s talk will address the historic barriers to employment, hiring trends for non-college degree talent, and the value of having a diverse talent pool.

IMPACT! Talk #2:
Five conversations We Should Be Having About Neurodiversity in Technology
Marcus Murph, Partner, KPMG
As corporations compete in the war for top talent, they must question their current talent acquisition strategy. Marcus will focus on the challenges, opportunities and changes that need to happen to attract, retain and unleash the potential of neurodiverse talent within today's organizations.

IMPACT! Talk #3:
In Our Backyard: The Untapped IT Talent Pool
Tamara Nall, President & CEO, The Leading Niche
With the extraordinary demand for talent, businesses continue to expand their reach to every corner of the globe in search of IT resources, including India, Philippines, and Eastern Europe. However, many overlook the vast and largely untapped domestic – based resources right in our backyard: Historically Black College and Universities (HBCUs).  From Morgan State University to Prairie View A&M University to Edward Waters College, many of these schools are typically not on the radar of IT recruiters. In an ever-changing, yet highly competitive market, corporations must be sure that they hire the best and the brightest as part of their teams. Join Tamara Nall, Founder and CEO of The Leading Niche, to learn how she successfully partnered with over 100 employers including Fortune 500 companies, to expand recruiting to these institutions and gain access to a vast pool of untapped IT and engineering talent.